Arizona Vs UCLA 🏀 Game Preview/Discussion Thread 11/15 at 7pm Peacock

[KansasCityCats]

I was sticky referencing that chat GPt gave Mo the wrong name.

[arxpert]

I was sticky referencing that chat GPt gave Mo the wrong name.

Still nothing to see in regards to SloMo

[KansasCityCats]

Krivas is a quality college big man.  He makes his FT's and prevents opponents from taking easy interior shots.  Guards are forced to throw up bad jumpers because they can't easily penetrate the half-court defensive set when Krivas is in the game...and even more so when Awaka is playing the PF position.

His floater and mid-range game are improving and a 7'2" big is a valuable asset at any level.

[arxpert]

Krivas is a quality college big man.  He makes his FT's and prevents opponents from taking easy interior shots.  Guards are forced to throw up bad jumpers because they can't easily penetrate the half-court defensive set when Krivas is in the game...and even more so when Awaka is playing the PF position.

His floater and mid-range game are improving and a 7'2" big is a valuable asset at any level.

As always, I will wait for the almighty 20-20 performance from "Mount" SloMo

[WILD]

https://x.com/ArizonaMBB/status/1989245620184666263?t=QggHAanwG-pER2N7sbAq4A&s=19

[|ᴘ|ʀ|ʏ|ᴍ|ᴇ|]

The game plan better not suck.
Coaching will count in this game.

[KansasCityCats]

FYI, Peacock does NOT have a free trial period directly through their app, however they offer a 7 day trial through Amazon, if you have an existing Prime account.

I plan to watch and cancel within the next three hours...

[KansasCityCats]

Great adjustments in the second half to spread out the Bruin defenders and draw contact.

The defense was stellar throughout the entire game (with a few mental errors) but as the game progressed, we effectively switched and our bigs (specifically Awaka) defended the smaller guards with ease.

In the end, our upperclassmen were difference-makers. All four returning players won this game.

4-0.

[arxpert]

I don't think this game needs an individualized write up.

There are some takeaways I can post here.

This team is very susceptible to chunks of the game where we lose institutional control over our game plan. Tommy was outcoached again, but the Talent still found a way. (Life...uh...finds a way...)

This team is very capable of adapting to the situation at hand.

Tit for Tat.

I am OK with being 8 deep. I do wonder where Evan Nelson fits in. Maybe he is just not up to this level. Maybe he is hurt. I don't know what is going on with him. He may have been a better 2 man than Burries tonight. Hope I don't see too many "Kerr/Boswell" type 1-9 FG lines this year. That is too many shots for a guy who isn't hitting them.

We were down big early (big by my standards).
We punched back.

We got down in the final 10 minutes.
We didn't let go of the rope.

Koa and his 4 Fouls didn't help anything, but we also may not have been able to perform the comeback with him out there tonight in that chunk. He is phenomenal, but when anyone has 4 fouls it is an open invitation to attack and even more of an invitation to just allow the easy look for 2pts and try to get it back which is a slipper slope when trailing by 3-4 possessions.

Having a Senior PG like Jaden Bradley (Maniac Man) is the "Missing Link". We have not seen a PG willing to go to the Rim the way Bradley has in a long time at "PG-U". He is willing to take the 3 when it is there (and is a serious threat to hit them), but he also is unafraid to take on the Big's going to the rack.

Florida had Walt Clayton last season. We have Jaden Bradley this season.

It is a story that has not yet picked up traction yet, but I believe it will.

Koa Peat is a "susceptible" to being baited into some deeper shots than he should take. If he can become more confident and put the ball on the deck, he can "Lebron" his way to the rim and create some major finishes too. He shouldn't settle. 6 Turnovers is way too many. Mick Gollum was able to put some tape out there on how to neutralize Koa, but thankfully we have more capabilities as opposed to just abilities to overcome it.

I can definitely see us being blown out in the event we have the same situation and "Delly" just isn't "on". That is something we will have to live with as long as Tommy doesn't have the Coaching experience necessary to have another guy ready to help like a Nelson, Sidi, or more Aristode for example. As I said, at the moment I am OK with being only 8 deep. It is optimal overall. We just need to see some growth from Burries and Aristode.

Awaka will miss his FT's. That is the Good with the Bad type thing he brings to the table.

Krivas finally had a Net Positive game IMHO. 5 O-REB is a big deal in a tightly contested game.

Still way too many Turnovers for my liking, but that is a product of UCLA's Gollum Defense.

I think Tony Delly is the best 6th Man currently. I hope Tommy continues this rotation. Out best configuration has Delly on the floor at the end, but I noticed Burries was trusted out there instead.

The final meaningful defensive sequence did not feature TonyD, but he is a valuable asset to bring in for Game Sealing FT's. Bradley and Delly are serious at the Line. I think we have some reason to trust our other players to hit the FT's as well, but overall I liked the Grit of the team in a Half Road Game.

We travel well generally. UCLA / LA People are extremely Fickle and I noticed the house was not Packed.

We are comfortable playing in LA and Vegas. Doesn't mean we will win all of our games there, but we do have a contingent in those zones.

Tobe Awaka-Rodman is a fighter. He has the "Modelo Fighting Spirit". I don't think he is Improved by any meaningful metric, but he is the Toughness we need to exhibit.

A Rotation with Koa Peat, Awaka, and Krivas is quite formidable with Bradley/Burries/Delly rotating around.

Aristode is potentially a Wildcard to this team. In games he is "On" he can be a deadly weapon. If he is "off" Tommy really needs to lean into him to play Elite level Defense. We need his Size during stretches this year. Ivan is a little bit of a "Me First" type of player from my vantage point.

I will wait to see if Aristode can gain favor with Tommy and steal some of Ivan's playing time before I fully judge the situation. The best DEFENDER should "win-out" for the minutes since everything else is covered.

Burries continues to be a bit underwhelming, but I don't see him as a quitter. He just may not be a true SG overall and the Role may not really be there for him this season with Bradley. I don't think this team can afford to put Burries at the 1 and dish it to Bradley. That is not how Bradley is effective. I see Bradley as the primary decision maker. If Burries can't hit the shots, Delly seems to be able to come in and hit them and is unafraid to play big bearded (grown) unlike last year he seemed out of his league. I can see the work he put in to "belong" with the bigger boys.

Hopefully Burries can become more efficient and also a more prolific passer.

I saw some good Inside-Out Passing tonight too. A big component of how we will succeed. Even though Krivas is not "HIM", he was able to overcome his poor play early and be viable. If he can be a 12-10 guy with the ability to help on the Offensive Glass while Tobe Awaka-Rodman can fight for Boards on the Defensive End... it is a pretty strong "Team".

Yes, I like the "OKC" factor of all locking arms around shoulders for the Post Game interview around Tommy. I like that comradery. We will not go undefeated. We will be outplayed and outcoached. But I think the stick-together-ness is important.

I have mentioned this earlier, but I am glad this was the first game of the "UCLA/UCONN" stretch. We have a long flight to really dig in and look at how exposed we were tonight. UCONN will be a different type of beast, but I think this experience will serve us well in the matchup even if we are heavy underdogs which I expect (+4 is reasonable and what I would qualify as Heavy).

There is no reason we "should" lose, but we are not automatic. It is a tough Road. I will say if we can "SURVIVE AND ADVANCE" with a Win @Storrs, CT then we should be elevated into a 1 or 2 Rank. There is very little reason to think we shouldn't.

A blowout Loss is expected (8+ point defeat), but it comes down to how well Tommy can coach the team in a Hostile environment.

This is the short-form Analysis.

Onward and Up
Beardown